How Did Life Arise? Three Turning Points in Early Evolution

By: William J. Broad · Kenneth Chang and Carl Zimmer

19 October 2026 at 13:56

Where did it start? How did it grow complex? Why did it get big? Three moments in Earth’s early history when evolution suddenly, inexplicably turned up the dial.

August Ties for Hottest Month on Record

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Raymond Zhong

10 September 2026 at 03:00

Sweltering summer temperatures put last month on par with July 2023 for global warmth, scientists said. More records could be broken in the months ahead.

A vendor cooled off with a frozen water bottle in a market in Seoul on Aug. 6.

August Ties for Hottest Month on Record

NYT - Science

By: Raymond Zhong

10 September 2026 at 03:00

Sweltering summer temperatures put last month on par with July 2023 for global warmth, scientists said. More records could be broken in the months ahead.

Plumbing the Shipwrecks of an Infamous Pirate Cove

NYT - Science

By: Franz Lidz

4 September 2026 at 13:43

For the marine archaeologist Sean Kingsley, the most honest history can be found on the seafloor.

Coral Reefs Are Running Out of Time to Recover, Research Finds

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Quinn Glabicki

31 August 2026 at 05:01

Rising sea temperatures mean reefs don’t have enough time to bounce back between intense heat waves, a new report warns.

Bleaching corals at Looe Key Reef off Florida in 2023.

How to Tell if a Giant Manta Is Pregnant? Give Her an Ultrasound.

NYT - Science

By: Alexa Robles-Gil

29 July 2026 at 22:28

Scientists managed to confirm pregnancies in three giant mantas with underwater ultrasound scans, offering clues to the animals’ elusive reproductive habits.

New Winged Robot Can Fly and Swim Like a Puffin

NYT - Science

By: K. R. Callaway

14 July 2026 at 21:20

Inspired by the physical feats of diving birds, researchers have created a robot that can plunge into the water and flap back into the air.

I.U.C.N. Update Says Deep-Sea Mining Threatens Mollusks Around Hydrothermal Vents

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Catrin Einhorn

9 July 2026 at 19:47

The snails and other mollusks around hydrothermal vents have evolved to thrive in extreme conditions, but mineral extraction could drive more than half to extinction.

Is Climate Change Supercharging El Niño?

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Chico Harlan

19 June 2026 at 16:52

As a new, potentially record-breaking El Niño begins, researchers are vigorously debating whether climate change is driving the phenomenon’s intensity.

Fighting a wildfire in South Sumatra, Indonesia, during an El Niño-exacerbated dry season in 2023.

Is Climate Change Supercharging El Niño?

NYT - Science

By: Chico Harlan

19 June 2026 at 16:52

As a new, potentially record-breaking El Niño begins, researchers are vigorously debating whether climate change is driving the phenomenon’s intensity.

Is Climate Change Supercharging El Niño?

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Chico Harlan

19 June 2026 at 10:00

As a new, potentially record-breaking El Niño begins, researchers are vigorously debating whether climate change is driving the phenomenon’s intensity.

Is Climate Change Supercharging El Niño?

NYT - Science

By: Chico Harlan

19 June 2026 at 10:00

As a new, potentially record-breaking El Niño begins, researchers are vigorously debating whether climate change is driving the phenomenon’s intensity.

Trump Administration to Pay $765 Million to Cancel 4 More Wind Projects

NYT - Science

By: Brad Plumer

17 June 2026 at 22:49

It’s the third such deal the Interior Department has struck to pay firms to abandon plans for offshore turbines, spending roughly $2.5 billion to get companies to abandon their wind projects.

Trump Administration to Pay $765 Million to Cancel 4 More Wind Projects

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Brad Plumer

17 June 2026 at 22:49

It’s the third such deal the Interior Department has struck to pay firms to abandon plans for offshore turbines, spending roughly $2.5 billion to get companies to abandon their wind projects.

The Trump administration has now struck deals energy developers totaling more than $2.5 billion to cancel offshore wind leases.

New Coral Study Identifies Areas Where Reefs Are Hanging On

NYT - Science

By: Katharine Houreld

16 June 2026 at 16:31

New research has identified areas around the world where cooler currents and other favorable conditions are helping to protect coral from the worst effects of global warming.

New Coral Study Identifies Areas Where Reefs Are Hanging On

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Katharine Houreld

16 June 2026 at 16:31

New research has identified areas around the world where cooler currents and other favorable conditions are helping to protect coral from the worst effects of global warming.

How One Company Plans to Mine the Bottom of the Sea

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Harry Stevens

4 June 2026 at 21:30

A look at the quest to mine the bottom of the ocean for valuable minerals, the connection between light pollution and allergies and more climate news.

Arizona, Nevada Agree to Trade for Desalinated Pacific Ocean Water

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Scott Dance

3 June 2026 at 23:52

A decade-old treatment plant in San Diego County, Calif., could leave more water in the Colorado River for states facing severe shortages.

From left, Dan Denham of the San Diego County Water Authority; Scott Cameron of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; Tom Buschatzke of the Arizona Department of Water Resources; and Colby Pellegrino of the Southern Nevada Water Authority toasted the agreement at the Carlsbad Desalination Plant in California on Wednesday.

Arizona, Nevada Agree to Trade for Desalinated Pacific Ocean Water

NYT - Science

By: Scott Dance

3 June 2026 at 23:52

A decade-old treatment plant in San Diego County, Calif., could leave more water in the Colorado River for states facing severe shortages.

E.U. Steps Up Ocean Monitoring as Trump Administration Backs Away

NYT - Energy & Environment

By: Chico Harlan

3 June 2026 at 23:01

Days after the U.S. said it would kill a network of ocean monitors, European officials pledged to invest more in their version, calling it a “necessity.”

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